Stay home with the swine flu?
May 9th 2009 15:15
It's a sad commentary on the state of health care in America, there's no other way to put it. A potential pandemic knocked on the door, and the advice is to stay home if you feel ill. Sure, a good recommendation - if you can afford to, if you have an employer that won't dismiss you for missing a week with the flu.
So many Americans find themselves on the edge of a potential job loss or cutback that they aren't confident enough to take some time off if they do become sick. If they even get sick days, that is. Or maybe they get "floating" days, to be used for any purpose. One week worth of paid time off, to be used as the employee chooses. Well, as long as management agrees. Would a person choose to use them to sit at home sick?
And what about the bill? If a worker doesn't have insurance, the choices get more limited. Pay out of pocket or stay away from the doctor and tough it out. If a person isn't that ill that outcome will probably be the same. If the illness is more serious, they might end up having to go to an emergency room later on.
It does look like this time around, at least thus far, we have dodged a bullet with the latest version of the swine flu. What about next time? Will a future outbreak be exacerbated in America by the lack of health care? Without real reform, yes it will.
President Obama is about to start the battle for health care reform. Sadly, it appears that he is attempting to shy away from any single payer option, even if coupled with insurance for profit. A single payer option is the best way to get to coverage for all Americans. And regardless of what the conservatives might say, would be the cheapest and most fair.
Many on the right took the swine flu outbreak as an opportunity to lash out at immigrants (legal and illegal) from south of the border. That's but another diversionary tactic, designed to keep us fearing those different than tackling the real issues. Yes, we need immigration reform. But race-baiting isn't the way to get to it.
Think about it, how many people do you come in contact with each day (maybe yourself too) who would have little choice but to continue working unless deathly ill. People who don't get enough days off to waste them being sick. Those who haven't taken a sick day in years, even when under the weather. If those people came down with the swine flu, they would have to be knocked down pretty hard - first, to go to the doctor and even know it, and second, to take time off and use up possibly their only paid time off for the year in a few days of sickness.
Is that how America should treat it's citizens? To segregate the people according to who can afford to be treated? That is exactly the situation for millions. It's high time we change it. Join the 60 percent of Americans who would favor single payer health care, and demand change.
So many Americans find themselves on the edge of a potential job loss or cutback that they aren't confident enough to take some time off if they do become sick. If they even get sick days, that is. Or maybe they get "floating" days, to be used for any purpose. One week worth of paid time off, to be used as the employee chooses. Well, as long as management agrees. Would a person choose to use them to sit at home sick?
And what about the bill? If a worker doesn't have insurance, the choices get more limited. Pay out of pocket or stay away from the doctor and tough it out. If a person isn't that ill that outcome will probably be the same. If the illness is more serious, they might end up having to go to an emergency room later on.
It does look like this time around, at least thus far, we have dodged a bullet with the latest version of the swine flu. What about next time? Will a future outbreak be exacerbated in America by the lack of health care? Without real reform, yes it will.
President Obama is about to start the battle for health care reform. Sadly, it appears that he is attempting to shy away from any single payer option, even if coupled with insurance for profit. A single payer option is the best way to get to coverage for all Americans. And regardless of what the conservatives might say, would be the cheapest and most fair.
Many on the right took the swine flu outbreak as an opportunity to lash out at immigrants (legal and illegal) from south of the border. That's but another diversionary tactic, designed to keep us fearing those different than tackling the real issues. Yes, we need immigration reform. But race-baiting isn't the way to get to it.
Think about it, how many people do you come in contact with each day (maybe yourself too) who would have little choice but to continue working unless deathly ill. People who don't get enough days off to waste them being sick. Those who haven't taken a sick day in years, even when under the weather. If those people came down with the swine flu, they would have to be knocked down pretty hard - first, to go to the doctor and even know it, and second, to take time off and use up possibly their only paid time off for the year in a few days of sickness.
Is that how America should treat it's citizens? To segregate the people according to who can afford to be treated? That is exactly the situation for millions. It's high time we change it. Join the 60 percent of Americans who would favor single payer health care, and demand change.
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